Happiness in a packet

On top of their nutritional benefits, a handful of nuts may help improve mood, a small study at the University of Barcelona suggests.

In the study, researchers had 22 participants eat 30 grams of almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts each day for 12 weeks. Another group of 20 had to avoid nuts. All of the participants had metabolic syndrome – a condition that raises the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

According to the researchers, the nut eaters had higher levels of serotonin metabolites, a marker for the feel-good hormone, although they say more studies will be needed to confirm whether eating nuts actually does make you happier.